Murder, She Wrote
Production Information History Origins In early 1984 CBS network executive Harvey Shepard approaches Richard Levinson and William Link about creating a mystery series centered around a female protagonist. They, in turn, contact Peter S. Fischer, and the three of them write a pilot episode. Jean Stapleton is envisioned as the female lead, but for a variety of reasons she rejects the part. Angela Lansbury, who has been quietly expressing interest in starring in a television series, is suggested as the next choice, an idea Shepard supports. The trio contact Angela Lansbury for a meeting. Angela meets with Shepard, Levinson, Link, and Fischer on a Friday. She takes the weekend to weight their offer versus another prospective role in an upcoming Norman Lear sitcom. Intrigued by the character and potential of Jessica and by the fact that the show is considered a “long shot,” she accepts Levinson and Link’s offer on the following Monday. In April 1984 filming begun and Murder, She Wrote was born Premise The show revolved around the day-to-day life of a retired English teacher who, after being widowed in her early fifties, became a very successful mystery writer. Despite fame and fortune, Jessica remained a resident of Cabot Cove, a cozy coastal town in Maine, and maintained her links with all of her old friends, never letting her success go to her head. Exterior shots of Cabot Cove were filmed in Mendocino, California. In most episodes, Jessica would somehow become entangled in a murder investigation. The police were almost always willing to arrest the most likely suspect, but Jessica invariably felt that the so-called guilty party wasn't responsible. Carefully and methodically piecing the clues together and asking questions that no one else had thought of, she always managed to trap the guilty party — who, given the series' "special guest star" policy, was often played by a famous film or TV personality. Jessica's relationship with law enforcement officials varied from place to place. Both the sheriffs of Cabot Cove had resigned themselves to having her meddle in their cases. However, most detectives and police officers didn't want her anywhere near their crime scenes, until her accurate deductions convinced them to listen to her. Some were fans of her books and were glad to assist her investigation. With time, she made friends in many police departments across the USA, as well as a British police officer attached to Scotland Yard. In 1991, newly appointed executive producer David Moessinger and producer J. Michael Straczynski were brought aboard in an effort to shore up ratings. They moved Jessica to New York, and revitalized the show, bringing it back into the top ten from the mid-thirties where it had fallen. It was Straczynski who made her an instructor in writing and criminology, and is widely held to have most emphasized her role as a working writer, with all the deadlines and problems involved in that profession. Starring Regular Cast :While Angela Lansbury was the only one Billed as a regular cast member. The Murder She Wrote Wiki consider the others listed here as regulars given the frequency of their appearances on the show. *Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher, The series main protagonist whom would solve different murders week to week. Jessca is a Mystery Novelist and a renowned amateur detective. *Tom Bosley as Sheriff Amos Tupper (Seasons 1 - 4), Cabot Cove's sheriff at the start of the series. Tupper later retires and goes to live with his sister. *William Windom as Dr. Seth Hazlitt (Season 2 Onwards), the local doctor of Cabot Cove and one of Jessica's best friend. He would often provide Jessica with autopsy reports and other facts pertinent to the case *Ron Masak as Sherriff Mort Metzger (Season 5 Onwards), a former NYPD officer who takes Tupper's place as sheriff in the mistaken belief that he would be living in a more peaceful place. Recurring Cast *Michael Horton as Grady Fletcher (Seasons 1 - 11), Jessica's not-so-lucky favorite nephew, who (through no fault of his own) always seems to get in trouble with the law. After many romantic disasters, he gets married later in the series to Donna Mayberry. *Claude Akins as Ethan Cragg (Season 1), Jessica Close friend a Fisherman and member of the Cabbot Cove volunteer Coast Guard. *Jerry Orbach as Harry McGraw (Seasons 1 - 7), an old-school private investigator who becomes friends with Jessica. *Len Caiou as Michael Hagarty (Seasons 2 - 9), a British MI6 agent of Irish origin, who would appear when Jessica least expected him to drag her into a dangerous case. *Keith Michell as Dennis Stanton (Seasons 5 - 9), a former jewel thief turned insurance claims investigator, who always solves his cases using unusual methods, and sends a copy of the story to his friend Jessica afterwards. *Wayne Rogers as Charlie Garrett (Seasons 9 - 12), a disreputable private investigator who usually gets into trouble and needs Jessica's help. Episodes For several years, the show was the longest-running mystery show on television. In total, there were 264 weekly episodes including the feature-length pilot episode, The Murder of Sherlock Holmes. Lansbury is the only actress to appear in all of the episodes and TV films. Beginning in season six, Lansbury cut back her appearances dut to exhaustion. A handful of episodes purported to be stories "written" by Jessica, or submitted to her by friends. She would introduce each episode, but generally disappear until the end, to wrap up the story. Others, such as Insurance Investigator Dennis Stanton, MI6 Agent Michael Hagarty, and private eye Harry McGraw, took center stage. Viewers, however, didn't respond well to Jessica's frequent absences, and the "surrogate detective" policy was eventually dropped. TV Movies ]] *''Murder, She Wrote: South by Southwest, aired November 2, 1997. Jessica is warned away by an FBI agent while following clues to Agua Verde where a woman who left her purse apparently lives. *Murder, She Wrote: A Story to Die For, aired May 18, 2000. Jessica Fletcher puts her sleuthing skills to work at a writer's conference after a Russian author is found dead. *Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man, aired May 2, 2001. Jessica Fletcher uncovers a shocking link between her family history and the death of a slave in the 1860s. *Murder, She Wrote: The Celtic Riddle, aired May 9, 2003. Jessica travels to Ireland, where she attends the reading of an old acquaintance's will. The will contains the clues to finding a secret treasure, one that will require an already strained family to work together in order to solve the mystery. Awards and nominations ''Murder, She Wrote received numerous Emmy Award nominations. Angela Lansbury herself holds the record for the most Emmy nominations for outstanding lead actress in a drama series, with 12, one for each season. She never won, which is also a record. The show won only twice, for costume design in 1986 and music composition in 1985. Lansbury was more successful with the Golden Globe Awards, winning four times. Emmy Awards Nominations *Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Angela Lansbury) (1985-1996) Golden Globes Wins *Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series - Drama (Angela Lansbury) (1985, 1987, 1990, 1992) *Best TV Series - Drama (1985, 1986) Nominations *Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series - Drama (Angela Lansbury) (1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995) *Best TV Series - Drama (1987-1990) DVD Releases External Links